What left Li Jiayu most speechless was seeing several corpses lying horizontally on some pork stalls, all bitten into bloody messes. Arms, ribs, and internal organs had fallen onto the pork stalls, mixed with the already rotting pork, creating a very chaotic visual effect.
Who could have imagined that one day, pork stalls wouldn't just display pork, but also human flesh?
In peaceful times, pork cost over ten yuan per 0.5 kg, readily available everywhere in the vegetable market. Raising pigs and selling meat was considered a shortcut to wealth, supporting countless families. At the same time, pork was the most widely sold meat, turned into various delicacies by humans – pork belly, twice-cooked pork, char siu – numerous pork dishes deeply loved by humans.
Now, it seemed humans were no longer at the top of the food chain, but rather the insects that fed on human flesh! Pork, chicken, and the like seemed ignored by insects, while human flesh became a hot commodity. Wherever the scent of human flesh lingered, insects would appear!
This statement sounded quite ironic... but thinking carefully, it wasn't entirely wrong. Reality is reality. Whether in times of peace or disaster, one law has always been followed: the weak are prey for the strong.
Even in peaceful times, didn't humans raise pigs and dogs, using their meat as food? They were weak, they didn't resist, they lacked intelligence, so in human eyes, they were naturally meant to be enslaved and eaten by humans. But in the eyes of pigs and dogs, weren't humans like demonic butchers, similar to insects?
Therefore, during the great catastrophe, humans becoming souls lost in insect bellies also complied with the laws of nature. When humans become strong again one day, they will likewise slaughter insects due to lack of food, turning tender insect meat into delicacies. Back and forth, fighting endlessly, the war will continue forever!
However, these were not Li Jiayu's concerns. He was currently moving stealthily through the vegetable market, using its many covers and obstacles to avoid the insects' sight. It was still the insects' lethargic period, and there weren't many insects in the market, but Li Jiayu really didn't want to provoke a large group of insects to chase him again like just now.
Passing by the fish stalls, Li Jiayu glanced into the fish tanks and pans. They were already filled with rainwater. Fish of various colors were still swimming vigorously in the water. They must feel very fortunate, right?
Due to the arrival of the great catastrophe, the fishmongers either died or fled, having no mind to care for these fish awaiting slaughter. This allowed the fish, which should have been sold and made into fish soup that very day, to survive until today. Compared to the many humans who died tragically in insect mouths, they were already very lucky. At least they wouldn't be eaten by humans, merely dying from lack of oxygen or starvation one day.
The entire vegetable market was eerily quiet, with only the barely audible footsteps of Li Jiayu and the mummy. As for the Dark Octopus, Li Jiayu had recalled it into the summoning space again. No choice, who told this creature to make too much noise when wriggling its body?
Occasionally, the clucking of chickens and quacking of ducks could be heard, but they were still locked in cages, unable to wander around. Otherwise, the already filthy market would become even more chaotic.
The unique smell of the market mixed with the stench of mud and rot made even Li Jiayu frown tightly.
Walking for several minutes, Li Jiayu approached a dog meat stall. Many large yellow dogs were still confined there. Their noses were extremely sensitive. Li Jiayu's scent didn't matter, but the problem was the mummy's evil aura made this pack of yellow dogs extremely uneasy. Even though they had been hungry for days, they still had enough strength to bark loudly, the sound echoing throughout the entire market!
"Ai, you guys messed it up again!"
Li Jiayu couldn't help complaining. Things were going so smoothly! Would it kill you dead dogs to bark a little less? Now you've alerted those Venomous Spiders, causing me so much unnecessary trouble!
However, this time he was very lucky. Few Venomous Spiders came to attack Li Jiayu, only about a dozen or so arriving intermittently. The mummy showed no mercy; its claws crunched like a meat grinder, tearing apart all the pouncing Venomous Spiders into shredded corpses. Then, under Li Jiayu's command, it threw the spider remains into the dog cages. Whether they would risk eating the spider meat out of hunger was outside Li Jiayu's consideration.
This time, not being chased miserably by an insect swarm, Li Jiayu breathed a small sigh of relief. It seemed the vast vegetable market truly lacked any presentable high-tier insects. If it was just these few Venomous Spiders, there was no need to be so sneaky. He could just stride forward openly and speed up.
"Yoho, such fresh coconuts! Haven't had coconut juice in a long time..."
Passing by a fruit supermarket, Li Jiayu saw numerous types of fruits scattered messily on the stalls: longan, lychee, papaya, coconut, wax apple, guava, jackfruit, starfruit, durian, emperor banana... Nearly all the fruits unique to the south could be found, an extremely diverse range. This made Li Jiayu's mood lift considerably. Such a bountiful fruit feast would be rare in the days to come.
Casually picking up a peeled coconut, he tossed it in his hand, confirming it was full of juice. Li Jiayu looked around and quickly found the hammer and nail left behind by the fruit vendor. Li Jiayu's left hand possessed four times normal strength, which was terrifyingly powerful. He easily punched a hole in the coconut shell, then inserted a straw, ready to happily sip the sweet and fragrant coconut juice.
"Haven't had breakfast this morning yet... Should I spend two or three minutes eating something to fill my stomach?"
Li Jiayu sat down on a beach chair. While sipping coconut juice, he took out a piece of bread from his backpack, intending to rest and treat his stomach. Suddenly, a feeling of unease surged in his heart, and his ears faintly heard a creak creak sound of glass rubbing!
"Hm? What's making that sound?"
Li Jiayu held his breath, his body tensing, vigilantly scanning his surroundings. Everything seemed normal. No human figures, no insect figures. Logically, it should be quite peaceful... No! The sound was coming from above!
"Clang!"
A dull thud. Li Jiayu abruptly looked up, only to see the second-floor window of the fruit supermarket suddenly burst open! A small metal security bar, along with numerous glass shards, rained down from the sky!
And Li Jiayu happened to be sitting right below! If he got hit squarely, his head would surely crack open!
"Ambush?"
Forgetting the backpack and coconut still in his hands, Li Jiayu reflexively shot up, expertly rolling on the ground, finally dodging the security bar and glass shards without harm. He sprang up, looking up grimly at the second-floor window. Sure enough, he saw a Red-Crested Beetle jump out!
"Screech—"
This Red-Crested Beetle was extremely excited! It had rampaged on the second floor of the fruit supermarket for a day, eating three or four staff members. But after sleeping for a whole night, the human flesh had long been digested, and it was starting to feel famished again. Coincidentally, just as it woke up, it vaguely smelled a very enticing aroma. It knew there was human flesh to taste again! And that person's flesh quality was definitely extremely delicious, a hundred times tastier than ordinary people! It swore this time it would definitely chew slowly, savoring it, unlike the previous times when it just swallowed everything whole!
Its front legs climbed onto the window sill, then its entire body flipped over, jumping directly down from the second floor! It dove headfirst towards Li Jiayu, carrying unstoppable heavy momentum and presence, seemingly wanting to crush Li Jiayu into meat paste!
"Want to die? Daring to ambush me..."
Li Jiayu's face was calm as he spoke faintly. The mummy beside him let out a hideous roar, gray light leaking from beneath the bandages covering its stitched-up eyes where the eyeballs had been removed. It crouched, the small amount of muscle in its legs suddenly exploding with power, and then it shot towards the Red-Crested Beetle like a cannonball!
"BOOM!"
The mummy's strength was extremely terrifying. In the blink of an eye, it reached the Red-Crested Beetle, wrapped its arms tightly around it, pushed off with its legs, and directly shoved the bull-sized insect back over ten meters! Then it crashed through a glass door, shattering a large section!
Along the way, it overturned numerous fruit stands, spilling apples everywhere. Finally, the mummy pushed the Red-Crested Beetle into a wall! The solid wall was blasted open with a large hole, exploding outwards in a cloud of gray dust! The violent tremor shook the fruit supermarket's chandelier, almost making it fall!
The Red-Crested Beetle was completely stunned by the impact. Even though its carapace was hard as iron, waves of pain shot straight to its brain. Its mandibles bit down on the mummy's shoulder, but surprisingly had no effect! It widened its eyes in astonishment. Weren't humanoid creatures all made of tender pink flesh? Why was this guy in front of it not only stinking rotten but also so hard it could barely bite through?!
It wasn't that it couldn't bite through, just that the mummy felt no pain. The Red-Crested Beetle's mandibles were strong enough to bite through steel; the mummy would still be injured. Its shoulder was almost broken. Boundless resentment surged within it. The mummy grabbed the Red-Crested Beetle's mandibles with both hands, pulled violently, and ripped them clean off! The Red-Crested Beetle let out piercing wails of agony, green blood spraying all over the mummy's face!
Taking advantage of the Red-Crested Beetle's stunned state, the mummy pressed its advantage, reaching out with its sharp, blade-like claws, and forcefully gouged the Red-Crested Beetle's eyes!
"Pop!"
With a dull sound, the Red-Crested Beetle's two eyes were brutally plucked out by the mummy, then crushed mercilessly!
The Red-Crested Beetle struggled desperately, scrabbling with its six legs. Finally feeling fear, it wanted to escape, but its rear half was stuck in the hole in the wall, and the crazed mummy blocked its front. How could it possibly get away?
Its only fate was to be obediently dismembered piece by piece by the mummy!
The mummy was practically a qualified humanoid Gundam!
"Well done, much more reliable than that Octopus fellow..."
Li Jiayu smiled slightly, extremely satisfied with the mummy's results. As expected of a high-Tier 1 summoned beast filled with the power of resentment, its combat power was truly terrifyingly extreme. Plus, being a Dark-type, it was incomparably brutal, its desire for battle and destruction ten times stronger than other types. So, the Red-Crested Beetle challenging it one-on-one was simply courting death!
"Oooo—"
The mummy opened its rotten mouth, its tongue removed, and let out a ghostly cry that was neither weeping nor laughing, simultaneously spraying out black poisonous gas. Then it extended its scrawny left leg and stomped, crushing one of the Red-Crested Beetle's front limbs! Then it plunged its claws into the Red-Crested Beetle's mouth cavity, destroying the oral tissues into heaps of rotten sludge!
The battle between these two high-Tier 1 monsters was filled with endless gore and violence. However, Li Jiayu leisurely went to pick up his backpack, righted the beach chair again, then sat down on it. Casually picking up a banana that had fallen on the ground, he peeled it and popped it into his mouth, eating with relish. He said to the mummy:
"Be careful, don't damage its brain. It would be bad if you crushed the Insect Crystal too..."
Perhaps because the commotion of the battle was too loud, or perhaps because the Red-Crested Beetle's cries of pain were too tragic, it actually managed to attract its companions! Instantly, another Red-Crested Beetle smashed through a window, jumping out from an adjacent grocery store! Its momentum was astonishing, crushing the large water tank in front of the grocery store entrance to pieces! The cement ground also cracked with a long fissure!
And from the street corner, two more Red-Crested Beetles suddenly rushed out, directly sending the roadside metal trash bin flying into the air! Fruit peels, rotten vegetables, and paper bags showered down on them, but they weren't insects concerned with cleanliness. They stared menacingly at Li Jiayu, drooling as they advanced!
"Ugh... three more actually came... This is tricky now! Isn't this market supposed to have few insects? Why did so many suddenly pop out... Right, it must be the insects' waking time! Their biological clocks are very precise!"
Li Jiayu's gaze focused. He had to take this seriously, completely shedding his previous nonchalant attitude. With his current overall strength, dealing with three Red-Crested Beetles was his limit. If a fourth one came... he would probably have to flee immediately!
Fortunately, no fourth Red-Crested Beetle emerged, just two more Venomous Spiders and one Acid Bug. Li Jiayu felt his scalp tingle slightly. Now he absolutely had to use all his strength; otherwise, he'd be skinned alive even if he didn't die!
"Dark Octopus!"
Li Jiayu silently chanted. The Dark Octopus immediately appeared beside him. This time, the Dark Octopus wasn't holding women's stockings like last time, but stood ready, glaring at the Acid Bug. The moment it appeared, it quickly sprayed ink at one Acid Bug, successfully confusing it into an "unable to distinguish friend from foe" state! It abruptly sprayed a mouthful of concentrated acid at a Red-Crested Beetle, corroding a large hole in its hard carapace!
The Dark Octopus seized the opportunity and immediately latched onto the corroded Red-Crested Beetle, its eight tentacles tightly binding it, making it unable to move an inch! However, two Red-Crested Beetles and two Venomous Spiders still charged towards Li Jiayu!
"Er... Damn it!"
Li Jiayu quickly turned and ran, simultaneously calling for the mummy. It had already thoroughly dismembered the previous Red-Crested Beetle – not only were all six legs completely broken, but even its vestigial wings were ripped off alive! Finally, it even grabbed the Red-Crested Beetle's mouth corners and tore its head in half, revealing tender pinkish-white brain matter!
Now, seeing its master in danger, it quickly shot forward like a cannonball again, tackling one Red-Crested Beetle to the ground, once more frantically dismembering the poor creature!
Thus, only two Venomous Spiders and one Red-Crested Beetle remained chasing after Li Jiayu!
"Am I really fated to be chased... The Dark Octopus is all flesh; why don't you guys go attack it? Fine... since you insist on provoking me, then come try if you have the ability!"
Li Jiayu ran frantically with the three insects behind him. Seeing the two Venomous Spiders about to catch up, Li Jiayu's gaze sharpened. He quickly took out a spare Insect Crystal and abruptly burned it! Immediately, Li Jiayu drew a crystalline katana from the void with both hands! It scattered fluttering snowflakes, looking stunningly beautiful under the white light's reflection!
Li Jiayu's snow-white hair danced from the energy emanating from the blade, making him look like a lonely swordsman walking through a vast desert!
Legendary Weapon – Hyorinmaru!
Consuming one Tier 1 Insect Crystal allows it to manifest in the real world for three minutes!
Even three minutes was already enough!
Li Jiayu had absolute confidence in himself. Even if his right hand couldn't wield a sword, he still had his left hand. Even if his left hand wasn't dexterous, it possessed four times the strength of a normal person! Plus, Hyorinmaru's properties of being indestructible and freezing flesh upon injury meant dealing with the insects before him shouldn't be a big problem!
"Swish!"
Push off, turn around, draw the sword!
Three actions executed in one smooth motion!
The next moment, the Venomous Spider that pounced first was already split from the top of its head downwards, then completely frozen into an ice sculpture!
The Red-Crested Beetle charged violently, practically like a high-speed motorcycle! Its red horn was merely half a meter away from Li Jiayu!
At such close range, rolling away was probably too late!
Li Jiayu suddenly struck out with his sword, using the tip to block the Red-Crested Beetle's horn!
"Clang!"
The collision actually produced the sound of metal striking metal!
Li Jiayu was pushed back by the Red-Crested Beetle's immense force, his shoe soles scraping along the ground for a full five or six meters! Even though his left hand was enhanced, it still felt somewhat strained, aching dully!
After the Red-Crested Beetle's force was spent, Li Jiayu quickly rolled on the ground, getting out of its attack range. However, the last Venomous Spider seized the opportunity to bite at Li Jiayu's left leg! But Li Jiayu's alertness was truly exceptional. The Venomous Spider trying to ambush him was simply dreaming!
Even before getting up from the ground, Li Jiayu still executed a backhand slash, horizontally cutting off all six of the Venomous Spider's legs!
Now, the only threat remaining to Li Jiayu was the single Red-Crested Beetle!
But a mere lone Red-Crested Beetle really couldn't cause much trouble. Li Jiayu tangled with it for less than a minute before directly stabbing Hyorinmaru into its mouth, piercing through to its brain! If it were before, whether he could penetrate its mouth was uncertain. Now, with the fourfold strength bonus, Hyorinmaru's power was naturally even greater!
"Phew... That was quite thrilling... Actually took almost a minute to kill it alone. This speed is really slow enough..."
Li Jiayu wiped the sweat from his face, his heart beating extremely fast. He looked towards the Dark Octopus's and Mummy's battlefield. Sure enough, these two hadn't disappointed him either. After the Mummy killed the second Red-Crested Beetle, it went on to tear the one controlled by the Dark Octopus into pieces, even digging out its eggs and crushing them fiercely! It hated all intact life!
"Octopus, quickly go get the Insect Crystals for me! Ugh... excluding the one consumed by Hyorinmaru, this time I earned three Insect Crystals. Can continue using them to maintain Hyorinmaru in the future. This legendary weapon seems to get smoother with use, its power also increased a tiny bit... Wonder if it can slowly be unsealed in the future... Forget it, dwelling on this is useless. Next time dealing with insects, I should try using 'Great Fireball Technique' against them!"
Li Jiayu shook his aching left arm, quickly walked over to the Dark Octopus, picked up his backpack, took out a spider brain core from inside, crushed it, and carefully applied it to his left arm. At this critical time, he absolutely couldn't leave any hidden dangers for his left hand; otherwise, it would surely be extremely dangerous later on.
"Must quickly find a way to restore my right hand... Relying only on the left hand really isn't enough. Using a sword is inconvenient, not to mention summoning new beasts on the battlefield is also very delayed..."
Li Jiayu sighed. If his right hand were unharmed, with his sharp swordsmanship, he could definitely finish off a Red-Crested Beetle within ten seconds, chopping it until its shit flew out!
Taking advantage of the remaining dozen seconds of Hyorinmaru's duration, Li Jiayu brought the sword close to a watermelon, completely chilling it. After Hyorinmaru dissipated due to time running out, Li Jiayu picked up a fruit knife and cut the chilled watermelon in half. Cold mist billowed out. The flesh was bright red and tender pink, looking incredibly appetizing.
The nearby insects had probably already been thoroughly killed in the previous battle. Li Jiayu didn't need to worry anymore. He sat leisurely on the stool, eating chilled watermelon accompanied by cream bread. Although crude, he ate with great enjoyment. The only drawback was the lingering smell of insect blood in his nostrils, thanks to that Mummy fellow tearing the insects into bloody messes, scattering limbs and flesh everywhere.
Soon, Li Jiayu finished his breakfast in a few bites. The Dark Octopus had also completely extracted the Insect Crystals from the four Red-Crested Beetles. And it had once again savored the delicious insect brains, so happy its lewd eyes widened. Soon, waves of warm energy radiated from its body. The severed tentacle actually grew small fleshy buds!
"Ooo... Octopus... Octopus feels warm all over... feels like... pregnant..."
"Pregnant your mom's ass!"
Li Jiayu rolled his eyes, saying with a dark face: "That's regenerating limbs! Absolutely don't let those newly grown buds get attacked! Eat more insect brains, estimate the buds can grow into complete tentacles in one or two days!"
"Oh... Octopus understands..."
The Dark Octopus handed the four Insect Crystals wrapped around its suckers to Li Jiayu, speaking naively.
Placing the crystals into his backpack, Li Jiayu patted off the mud stuck to him from rolling, casually picked up two shiny apples and put them in the backpack, then signaled the two summoned beasts and swaggered out of this street.
Leaving the vegetable market, Li Jiayu entered another small alley. However, near a three-way intersection, he heard human footsteps. His heart stirred; he knew he had encountered survivors.
"So-called 'no harm in being wary of others, but essential to guard against harm'... Causing others harm is trivial, but accidentally being harmed by others would be utterly laughable. Now that the insect disaster is rampant, for this group of survivors to dare wander out, they likely possess some combat ability... Must be careful of them."